Orange Cherry Blossoms
by w4nder1ust
Summary: They gave each other the strength to face each day and they were each other's answers for a brighter future. A series of NaruSaku one-shots.
1. Free of Charge

**A/N: **Hi there! Thanks for spending the time to check out this series of one-shots that I started in 2014. It's been a long time since I've last updated, but I've found some motivation to try writing again. So I decided to start off slow on March 6, 2016 by first editing whatever flaws and mistakes that I can find in each chapter. After that I'll slowly begin uploading new one-shots that I've already written and try to take off from there.

Thanks for checking Orange Cherry Blossoms out, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Free of Charge

Sakura trudged through Konoha's gates, covered in mud and dirt, and raised a weak hand at Izumo and Kotetsu. Her first mission as a Jōnin was a long and tiring one.

"Sakura-chan!" Her day took a turn for the worse when her feet left the ground and the world began to spin and as her head spun with it.

Sakura groaned, smacking the arm that belonged to the cheery whiskered face. "Definitely _not _the best time, Naruto."

Naruto pouted, and set her back down gently. "I just wanted to welcome you back."

Despite the fact that she felt as if she could just drop and sleep on the ground right there, a small smile crept onto her face. "Thanks, Naruto."

He grinned at her before sweeping her off the ground again, his arm under her legs and his other under her neck.

"Wha-"

"You look dead tired, Sakura-chan!"

"Put me down, you idiot!" Her face exploded into scarlet as she could hear Izumo and Kotetsu snickering in the background.

"But you look dead tired, Sakura-chan!"

"I get it!"

"I'll take you home like this, so just sit back and enjoy the ride." He grinned and began walking.

Sakura blushed even harder. "N-No way! You're not taking me through the village like _this_!" She shrieked and struggled in vain in his vicelike grip.

"Why not? It's free of charge!"

"_DOWN, NARUTO__!_"

Naruto frowned and tightened his grip. "I don't see what the problem is, Sakura-chan."

"Of course you don't! Just put me down!" She groaned, throwing her head into her hands.

"Tell me what the problem is!"

"Figure it out for yourself!"

"You know I can't!"

"TRY!"

"You're tired from your first mission as a Jōnin, and you don't even have to use your legs to get home! What's so bad about this!?"

"What do you think, Baka?! It's _embarrassing_!"

They continued fighting the rest of the way, without Sakura even noticing that they were walking straight through the village.

"For the last time! _PUT ME DOWN!_"

"Alright, alright!" Naruto grinned and set her down.

"Finally!" Sakura groaned, and stumbled backwards in surprise when she nearly ran into her front door.

"What-"

"Welcome home, Sakura-chan!" Naruto quickly pressed his lips against her cheeks and sprinted off before she could knock him out.

"Naru-" She froze as she turned around to the audience of chuckling citizens and turned beet red.

An old woman carrying grocery bags smiled at her. "He's a keeper, you know?"

Sakura stammered, giving a quick bow and ran inside, slamming the door behind her, her heart racing.

She leaned against the door and reached up to touch the lingering kiss on her cheek.


	2. Please?

Chapter 2: Please?

"_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease_, Sakura-chan? I won't ever ask again!" Naruto begged, on his knees.

Ino snickered. "Oh come on, Forehead. Just do it!"

Sakura flushed. "No way!"

Tenten laughed. "He's on his knees, Sakura!"

"_Go away, Naruto_!" She hissed.

"Not until you do it!"

Sakura groaned. Here she was, having a nice day with her friends, when Naruto had shown up out of the blue asking her to _kiss him_. Ino and Tenten burst into laughter as Sakura turned the colour of a tomato.

"Blame Kiba! He's the one who dared me! And I can't back down from a dare!" Naruto protested.

"Go get someone else to kiss you!"

"NO! It has to be you!"

"Can't you just pretend that I kissed you?!"

"NO! Kiba's watching to make sure that you actually kiss me!"

Ino nudged her friend with her elbow. "Come on, Forehead!"

"Shut up, Pig!"

"Times a wastin'! Don't you want to go shop, Sakura?" Tenten sang.

Sakura glared at them both. Some friends she had.

"Fine," She moaned. "just leave me alone after this, all right?!"

Naruto whooped and jumped in the air. "Got it!"

She rolled her eyes before grabbing his collar, yanking him down and kissed him right on the lips for a full second before pushing him back.

Naruto stumbled backwards and fell, before his entire face turned red.

Ino and Tenten gaped at their friend.

Sakura slowly turned to look at them. "What?"

And the silence stretched, before Kiba fell out from a nearby tree. "I-It didn't have to be _on the lips_, S-Sakura!" He managed to get out in between laughs, slapping the ground, tears slipping down his cheeks.

It was Sakura's turn for her face to turn scarlet, as Ino and Tenten burst into laughter, bending over.

Sakura's eyes turned dark as she glared at Naruto. And he could _swear_ that the temperature dropped a few degrees.

"Na...ru...to…" She ground out, her hands tightening into fists.

Naruto tried scurrying away with his hands. "Now, now, Sakura-chan! No need to get so ma-" He didn't even get to finish as he was thrown straight into the sky by one of her chakra-fueled punches.


	3. Habit

Chapter 3: Habit

It had become something of a...habit. She didn't _mean _for it to become a habit, it just...did.

* * *

It all started that Saturday morning, when Sai approached her, asking if she had seen Naruto.

"No, why?" She stared at him, puzzled.

"I haven't seen him in the past few days." Sai shrugged.

Sakura raised her brow. "Have you checked Ichiraku?"

Sai rolled his eyes. "Of course I did, Ugly."

Sakura's eye twitched and her fist slowly tightened into a fist. But she shut her eyes and slowly let out her breath. "I guess I'll go check in on him." She ground out.

Sai smiled, ever so oblivious, and left.

* * *

She headed to Naruto's apartment and found him curled up in his bed, his running a high fever and mumbling incoherent words. She sighed and gently shook him awake, nearly giving him a heart attack when he saw who it was.

"S-SAKURA-CHAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"Sai told me that he hadn't seen you for a couple days, so I came to check up on you." She glanced around his room. "...And it's a good thing I did."

Clothes were strewn everywhere, numerous instant ramen cups thrown in random places, garbage littered the ground and his carton of milk was out on the table and by the smell of it, it had been for a while.

"Haha…" Naruto chuckled nervously. "It's just a small cold...I'm already feeling-" He leaned over, coughing violently.

Sakura glared at him. "That doesn't sound like a small cold."

Naruto whimpered under her gaze.

She sighed and rolled up her sleeves. "Let's just get you to eat something _good _first."

She left his room and went into the kitchen. "Ramen _is _good!" He shouted behind her.

Sakura searched through his cupboards and found nothing but ramen. Ramen here, ramen there, _ramen everywhere_. She groaned and trudged back to his room to chew his ears off for having nothing _but_ ramen.

But when she walked in, he was sound asleep. A soft smile on her face, she left quietly, leaving to buy some ingredients.

* * *

Naruto awoke to something shaking his shoulder. He looked up at the blurry figure with one barely opened eye. "Huuuh...?"

"Come on! Sit up! I made you soup."

Naruto rubbed his eyes and the image became clear. Sakura stood over him with a steaming bowl in her hand.

He groaned as he slowly sat up.

Sakura blushed lightly when she saw that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She quickly thrust the bowl into his hands.

"...Eat."

His eyes lit up. "Soup! Thanks, Sakura-chan!"

"Y-You're welcome." She stammered and quickly turned around, but not before noticing the sharp planes and abs. _When the hell did he get those?_

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing?" Came his curious voice.

"N-Nothing! Just drink your soup!"

She heard him slurp up the noodles and drink the soup in an instant.

"Thanks for the food, Sakura-chan! It was really good!"

Sakura picked up the nearest shirt on the ground and threw it at him, turning her head to avoid his gaze.

"Y-You have to stay warm, Baka!" She stammered.

Naruto stared at her red face, cocking his head. Before a grin erupted on his face.

"But I'm not cold, Sakura-chan." He stared straight at her, with his sly grin.

Sakura stumbled backwards. _This...this IDIOT! He was making fun of her! _

"Wear it, Naruto!"

He kicked his blanket off all the way. "I'm not cold." He said stubbornly.

She growled, her eyes narrowing. "Naruto…"

Naruto stared at her for a moment, his resolve almost breaking, before he burst out in laughter at her bright red face.

Sakura stared at him as he continued laughing. Then she came over and slapped him upside the head.

"OW! Sakura-chaaaan!" He moaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sleep off your cold, Baka." She muttered before leaving his apartment and slamming the door behind her.

* * *

And here she was, at his apartment _again_...just like she had been everyday for the past few months. Just to make sure he was eating right...and stuff.

She unlocked the door with the extra key he had given her and was surprised to find him awake and sitting against the wall in the hallway.

"You're already up?" She said in surprise as she shut the door behind her and removed her shoes. "Wow, I'm impressed. But why are you sitting out he-"

"Sakura-chan." Naruto interrupted her and looked up at her with narrowed eyes.

She stared back, startled at the seriousness in his voice. "What?"

"...This..._thing_...that you do. Like coming almost everyday to my house…" Naruto hesitated. "Isn't it something...that _couples _do?" He finished and stared at her, his brow furrowed.

She was baffled. "..._What_?"

"I asked Sai, and he said he read about it in a book somewhere, that it's something only couples do."

He stood up and came closer. "Sakura-chan...are we…" And closer… "Are we a…" And even closer… "A…

By this time she was backed up against the door, and it was hard to breathe and he was _really _close. _And when did he get this tall? _

"A...coup-" But she never let him finish as she punched him in the stomach with a chakra-fueled fist and sent him flying and crashing through his living room.

She was trying to catch her breath as she heard Naruto groaned from the other side of the room.

Sakura groaned out loud and held her head in her hands. She hadn't _meant _for it become a habit.


	4. Goes Without Saying

Chapter 4: Goes Without Saying

Naruto paced back and forth, muttering words under his breath, his hands nearly tearing holes into his shirt. .

Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto, will you sit down? You need to rest too, you know."

He had several injuries, now wrapped in bandages as they had all been quickly treated by Shizune's nimble hands. But he made no motion to indicate that he had even heard Shikamaru.

Naruto leaned against the wall instead, sinking to the ground, his head in his hands. "_I _should be in there. Not her. _Not her_." He whispered.

Shikamaru began to stand up, but Ino beat him to it. She sat down beside Naruto and slowly rubbed circles on his back.

"Don't blame yourself, Sakura wouldn't want that." Ino gently spoke.

"I-I got here as fast as I could, but, what if it just wasn't fast _enough?_" Naruto whimpered.

"Just what exactly happened?" Sai asked.

"We...we were ambushed," Naruto began in a hushed tone. "but we were expecting something like this to happen, so we were doing pretty well against them, but…" He hesitated.

"...but…?" Choji pushed, his mouth for once empty of food.

"One of the shinobi, believe it or not," He laughed humourlessly. "did the same thing as she does, like how she focuses her chakra into her fist? And he aimed it straight at me…" Naruto squeezed his eyes closed as if he were in pain just by the mere memory of it, "and that was when she pushed me out of the way and...he got her in the chest. It was so close to her heart...there was so much blood." He finished, voice hoarse.

Ino gave his shoulder a squeeze and remained silent.

Moments passed in silence, when the doors to the emergency room slid open, and a weary looking Tsunade walked out.

Naruto leapt up, "Baa-chan! H-How is she…?" His eyes wide with fear.

Tsunade laid her hand on his shoulder and gave him a soft and reassuring smile. "Go in and see for yourself."

He raced in, nearly tripping over his own feet.

Ino let out the breath she had been holding in, and Shikamaru walked over to help her up.

"Thank goodness…" Ino muttered as she nodded her thanks.

"You were all waiting out here?" Tsunade said in surprise.

Sai nodded. "It's just us though. Everyone else is out on missions."

"Well, you guys should go in and see her." Tsunade nodded towards the E.R.

Choji shook his head. "We should give them some space." Then crumpled up the empty bag of chips.

Tsunade chuckled. "Of course. My bad."

* * *

The gentle humming of the multiple machines filled the silence of the room as Naruto slowly walked towards her bed.

He reached her side just as she opened her eyes.

"Naruto…" She smiled weakly, her head was wrapped in bandages and her left arm was in a cast. But he knew the worst of it was hidden underneath her shirt.

Tears welled up in his eyes. "...Sakura-chan…"

She smirked. "Baka, why are you crying?"

He fell to his knees beside her bed. "Sakura-chan..._why_? Why would you...do that?" His face was twisted in pain.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You _obviously _weren't paying attention, so I had to save your ass of course."

"No you didn't!" He shouted, his hands tightly clenched.

Sakura looked at him with mild surprise. "Why are you so mad? You're fine, I'm fine, what's there to be mad about?"

"This. Is. Not. Fine." He took a deep breath. "And I'm not..._mad_. I just…" He began to pull his hair in frustration. "Don't _ever _do something like that again, kay?" He growled, fiercely wiping away his tears.

She smiled softly. "Wouldn't you have done the same?"

Naruto frowned. "That goes without saying, Sakura-chan."

Her gaze softened, and she reached out to wind her hand through his hair. "...Baka."

And they stayed like that, for what seemed like hours, caught in each other's gazes.


	5. Long Before

**A/N: Thank you to XxAshishxX, bzgfan2004, wolfmoon30, , ah11, Archangel0, Directions, Kakashi Hatake42, and Tiggernator91 for reviewing, favouriting, and following! **

* * *

Chapter 5: Long Before

They had become accustomed to each other. They fit perfectly into each other's lives as they did in each others arms. A day did not go by where they never saw each other, and it became this way without them even realizing it.

He had stopped asking her out on dates. She had stopped looking at other guys. Lunch was always spent together at Ichiraku's.

She had stopped seeing him as the loud, annoying little prankster he once was, and her view of him changed into this inspirational, admirable hero as the years went by. And his crush on her slowly turned into something more as the years went by.

When the other was away on a mission, they grew restless and cranky, and once they had returned, they had reverted back to their normal selves again.

They couldn't even remember when she suddenly had the extra key to his apartment.

During lunch with all of their friends, they would always sit beside each other, and she would always scold him for eating in such a messy manner and wipe his mouth. He responded with a sheepish 'sorry' and a soft look on his face. Their friends responded with raised brows and snickers, but never said a word, eager for the day when the two idiots would finally admit to their feelings.

Women at the market would always smile at the two when they went down the street, bickering loudly. '_Young love', _they would say wistfully and sigh.

They weren't subtle, that was for sure. But then again, they weren't always crystal clear.

When they had been surrounded and interrogated by their friends, they would burst into laughter and completely deny it. "Just friends." They would say. "_Just friends_."

He frequently went over to her house for dinner with her family, and soon every Sunday night was deemed as the 'Haruno+Uzumaki Family Night'.

Everytime he or she returned from a mission, injured badly, the latter would always be pacing outside the E.R regardless of the time and day.

It had taken months for them to finally admit their true feelings to each other and their friends were baffled they told them, and asked if they were _serious, t_hat they had just realized their feelings _now._

But they had been together long before they even knew it themselves.


	6. Kids

Chapter 6: Kids

"Ne, Sakura-chan?"

"Hm?" She responded, not removing her eyes from her book as Naruto's head lay snug on her lap.

"How many kids do you want?"

Her brow slowly went up and she lowered her emerald eyes down to his cerulean ones. "...What?"

Naruto huffed. "I _said, _how many kids do you want?"

A light blush came over her cheeks and she quickly looked away. "W-What's up with that question all of a sudden?" She stammered.

"Nothing much," Came his response. "I was just curious."

She remained quiet for a few moments before answering. "...Three." She said in a quiet voice.

Naruto grinned. "How many boys or girls?"

She hesitated before answering. "One older boy...and two twins. The twins being girls, preferably."

"No way! Me too, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sure, Naruto."

"I'm serious!" He sat up and leaned in close so that their noses were almost touching. "I want three kids too! An older boy and two girls!"

She blushed fiercely from his sudden movement. _Too close! _

She panicked. "G-Get away from me, Baka!" She then pushed him off the couch with both hands.

He landed with a thump and she heard him groan in pain.

"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "You deserved it."

Naruto sat on the ground, silent, before he leaped up, his face bright with an idea.

"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan! I have an idea for two of our kid's names! One of them can be-" But he was cut off as her book was thrown right at his face.

"O-O-Our k-k-kids?!" Sakura spluttered, her face bright red.

Naruto groaned and rubbed his forehead then grinned.

"Yeah!" He shouted excitedly. "Can we name one of them Minato or Kus-" He was cut off harshly again as the big coffee table slammed into his face.

* * *

A deafening howl of pain echoed throughout the entire village and even to the Hokage tower, where Tsunade sat, filling out paperwork after paperwork. She chuckled as a resounding: '_OWW! SAKURA-CHAN!' 'YOU DESERVED THAT ONE TOO, BAKA!' _could be heard.


	7. Mission

Chapter 7: Mission

A little girl of just barely seven shuffled in, clutching a book tightly to her chest. "Daddy?" She called out hesitantly.

"Hm?" Naruto looked up from the scroll he was studying. "You're still up Sayu? What's wrong?"

"Will you read me Kaguya Hime?" She asked, timidly, shuffling her feet.

Naruto smiled. "Sure thing." He stood up and walked over to ruffle her long, red hair, which rivalled her grandmother's.

They walked down the hall and into her room, which she shared with her two little twin brothers, whom were only three, were fast asleep.

The little girl got in her bed, but made enough room for Naruto to slide in as well. They both settled in, and when they were comfortable, he began the story.

"Long, long ago in Japan, there lived a poor woodsman. One day, he was cutting bamboo in a grove when he came upon one stalk of bamboo glowing a bright, golden color. Finding this mysterious, he approached it for a closer look..."

She lay there, quiet for most of the story. Then she quietly asked a question that stopped him from reading.

"Daddy…" She hesitated, "where's mommy?"

Naruto froze mid sentence.

"I...I miss her…" The little girl's voice began to tremble.

Naruto closed the book, sighing and kissed her forehead, bringing the little girl closer.

"Mommy's...away on a mission, Sayuri. You know that."

Sayuri gripped her dad's shirt and hid her face in it. "But I miss her!"

Naruto hugged her tighter. "...I miss her too…But it helps that you look so much like her, kiddo."

Sayuri stopped crying and looked up at her dad. "I...do?" She sniffed, tears in her large eyes.

Naruto smiled and wiped away her tears. "Sure you do, except for the red hair, of course. And you've got her personality too, when you're mad."

Sayuri giggled and hugged her dad again.

"Want me to continue?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

After he dropped off Sayuri and her twin brothers at Ino's, he collapsed in his chair, and put his head into his hands, recalling the previous night.

Sayuri was beginning to ask for her mom frequently, and the only answer he had for her was that she was away on a long mission. How...just _how _were you supposed to explain the prospect of death to a seven year old? That her mommy was never going to come back from her 'mission.'

"_Ino! Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran over to Ino who was just about to fall on her knees, and took the bloody body from her back and tried hard to ignore his wife's missing limbs. _

"_B-Barely...made it…" Ino gasped out, "get...Forehead..." then immediately lost consciousness, but not before Shikamaru caught her in his arms, his eyes shocked at the state his wife was in. _

_Naruto sat down, Sakura in his arms and cupped her face in his hands. "Nonononononono…" He mumbled. "Stay with me, Sakura-chan, please stay with me." _

_Sakura smiled up at him, a trail of blood coming from her mouth. _

"_Take...care of...our kids…" She whispered as her life spilled out from between his fingers. _

_And all he could do was __watch._

His chest throbbed when he began to think about it and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Oi! Gaki!" The doors were thrown open, and a busty, blonde woman stomped in, "Did you finish the paperwork?" She barked, but froze when she saw Naruto hastily wiping away tears.

Tsunade blinked. "Are you..._crying_?"

Naruto growled. "Hell no!"

Tsunade smirked and held out her arms. "Does the Hokage need a hug?" She cooed teasingly.

"Baa-chan!"

She snickered and lowered her arms, even in her 70s, she was still the same as she had always been, and she _still _refused to remove her Henge to look her actual age.

"So, what's wrong?"

Naruto lay his head on his desk. "Sayuri asked about Sakura...again." He mumbled.

Tsunade's eyes darkened and she sighed. "Ah…" She sat on his desk and crossed her arms. "Are you thinking about telling her the truth_, _anytime soon?"

"I don't know! I don't know how to." He moaned.

"How about...I don't know..._trying._"

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "I need to go see her again."

Tsunade laid a hand on his shoulder. "Go. I can watch the office for a couple hours."

Naruto grinned. "You're the best, Baa-chan!" And jumped out the window.

She sighed. "Don't I know it."

* * *

He slowly approached her grave with a bundle of flowers in his hands.

"Hey, Sakura-chan…" He smiled sadly and gently placed the flowers down.

"Remember when I asked you how many kids you wanted…? And you said you wanted one older son, and two younger, twin girls?" Naruto smiled wistfully, "Isn't it funny how we got one older daughter, and two twin boys?" He half-heartedly chuckled.

"Sayuri's growing up so fast, and she looks so much like you, it hurts…" He said hoarsely.

He could almost hear her whispering; '_Scratch the red hair, though.' _

Naruto laughed aloud, wiping away the tears that were falling. "Scratch the red hair, though…" He smiled softly.

"And Minato looks so much like dad...while Keiichi has your pink hair." He chuckled, "He loves it though, which is great."

He smiled up at the blue sky. "I think I'll tell Sayuri tonight, but I'll wait a bit before telling the boys. I'll see you soon, Sakura-chan...and I'll bring Sayu next time."


	8. Uzumaki Household

Chapter 8: Uzumaki Household

"Muuuuuuuum! I'm going out!" Sayuri shouted as she hopped down the stairs.

Sakura appeared from the kitchen, wielding a ladle and a frown. "Um, _no_. You're not."

"What?! Why not?" Sayuri groaned.

"At this hour?"

"It's only 8:30!" She said incredulously.

"And what exactly are you doing?"

"We're just going to get some air at the park!"

"'We're'?" Sakura echoed, raising a brow.

Sayuri groaned. "As in my friends and I, Mom!"

"Who?"

"Her boooooyfriend," Minato and Keiichi sang, looking up from the book they were both reading.

Sayuri blushed and turned to look at her brothers. "Mina! Kei! Be quiet!" She hissed.

"_Boyfriend?_" Sakura's face lit up.

"_BOYFRIEND_?" Naruto's voice thundered from the other room.

Sayuri slapped her forehead with her hand. "Great." She muttered. "_Dad heard_." She glared at her brothers who simply snickered.

Naruto came storming in. "BOYFRIEND?" His voice roared.

"Dad!"

"What's this about a boyfriend, Sayu?" Sakura asked ecstatically.

"WHO IS IT?" Naruto roared at the same time.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Tou-chan, Kaa-chan!" Sayuri moaned.

"She does too!" Minato and Keiichi said at the same time.

"Who is it?!" Naruto and Sakura asked, one completely giddy, while the other was fuming.

Sayuri sent daggers at her brothers, daring them to speak.

"Some guy named Shinta." Minato quickly said while Keiichi disappeared into giggles behind his hands.

Sakura blinked.

Naruto blinked.

"Who?" They both echoed.

Sayuri groaned and put her face in her hands.

"Who's kid is he?" Naruto frowned and crossed his arms.

"Never heard of a Shinta…" Sakura muttered.

"He's just some guy from my graduating class! And Shiki, Chiyo and Mei will be there too! So can I _please _go now?"

"No!" Naruto barked. "I wanna meet this...'Shinta'."

Sayuri paled. "No way, Dad!"

"Any guy who dates my daughter needs to meet with _me _first. Who doesn't know that?"

"I agree. Your mom...needs to meet this...'Shinta'." Sakura said with an evil glint.

Naruto closed his eyes in thought. "...Why not Shiki? Or Neji's kid?"

"Daaaad…."

"Your daddy, who is also _Hokage_, actually approves of them. I don't even know this Shinta guy!"

Sayuri threw her hands up in frustration. "I give up!"

"Even _Kakashi's _kid would be better than this guy!"

"What?!" Sayuri gaped at him. "Obito-niichan's four years older than me! And he already has a girlfriend!"

Sakura frowned. "Well that's a shame, he's such a handsome boy too, taking after his father…" She pouted.

Sayuri stared at her mother, her jaw moving up and down, but no words coming out.

"_WHAT? _Sakura-chan!" Naruto's face morphed into one of horror. "Did you just...say that...Kakashi was..._handsome?_"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And if I did?"

Naruto stumbled back, hand on his heart, a hurt expression on his face.

"A-And...what about me?"

Sayuri sighed, something like this was a daily occurrence in the Uzumaki household.

Sakura peered at him with calculating eyes. "You? You're just...cute, I guess." She crossed her arms and turned around.

"That just won't do." Naruto growled and went behind his wife and put his arms around her, trapping her in his embrace. She jumped in surprise and slapped his arm.

"Take it back!"

"L-Let go, Baka!"

Sayuri rolled her eyes and made her escape, already 10 minutes late, while Minato and Keiichi sighed and returned to their book, trying to ignore their parents' childish antics.

* * *

**A/N: Just for those who were wondering, here are their ages:**

**-Sayuri (16)**

**-Minato, Keiichi (12)**


	9. Uzumaki Household: Part 2

Chapter 9: Uzumaki Household: Part 2

"Come on..." Sayuri sighed and opened the door.

Shinta took in a deep breath. He was ready for this. He had finally manned up enough to confess his feelings to Sayuri, and she had actually said _yes_ to being his girlfriend. She was the smartest and prettiest girl in his graduating class. Therefore, he could totally handle her father that was the Hokage and her fearsome mother whom he had heard terrifying stories about.

"Pardon my intrusion…" He murmured and removed his shoes.

Shinta took one step forward and stumbling backwards gasping when a wave of killer intent slammed into him. He stood there, frozen, finding it impossible to breathe.

Sayuri turned to look at him, eyebrow raised. "Shinta? What's wrong?"

He stood, unable to respond, merely shaking in his socks.

Then it clicked.

Sayuri spun around, "DAD! _KNOCK IT OFF!_"

Booming laughter could be heard from the living room, and Shinta fell to the ground, the intense wave now gone. He lay on the ground, gulping in air by the buckets. She winced and helped him up with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Shinta..."

He merely shook his head, "I-It's fine." he managed to choke out.

Sayuri nodded grimly. "Let's go." She then took his hand and led him into the living room.

From there, they were greeted by quite the sight. The Hokage, in all his glory, standing with his arms crossed, and both of his sons on either side with fierce expressions on their chubby faces.

"SO," Naruto barked. "_This, _is Shinta?" He glared at the boy, who immediately withered under his gaze.

Naruto smirked. _Wimp. He'd have no trouble getting rid of him and pushing Sayu towards Shiki._

Sayuri groaned. "Dad!"

He grinned at his daughter. "Hey, kiddo."

"Mooom! Make him stop!"

"Hmm?" Sakura was sitting on the couch, admiring Naruto with her cheek resting on her palm.

"He looks quite good like this though." Sakura sent a dazzling smile at her daughter.

Sayuri sent her mother an incredulous look.

Her mother laughed, "I'm sorry!" And she stood up to gather Sayuri in her arms for a hug, then turned to look at Shinta.

"So...you're Shinta-kun?" Sakura said, a smile growing on her face. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sakura." She extended her hand out towards him.

Shinta hesitated when he saw that her smile did not reach her eyes and was quite..._cold. _But soon extended his own hand out to meet hers.

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Fujiwara Shin-" He was cut off when Sakura gripped his hand, _hard_. "-ta" He whimpered out.

"It's a pleasure, Shinta-kun." Sakura smiled with a glint in her eyes and let go. She then gestured to the two boys standing beside Naruto.

"And these two are…"

"MINATO!"

"AND KEIICHI!" They both barked as they glared at Shinta.

"N-Nice to meet you guys…" He laughed uncertainly.

Sayuri sighed and put her long hair up in a ponytail. It was going to be a long evening.

"Sit down, you two!" Sakura said as she sat down herself.

Shinta was grateful for the offer as he sat down beside Sayuri, as his legs were trembling quite hard.

Naruto went to go place himself next to Sakura, with Minato and Keiichi sitting next to her on the other side.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, when three loud knocks at the door cut her off.

"Now who could that be?" Sakura mused out loud, before sending the boys to get the door. They ran out of the living, stumbling over their feet to open the door.

"SHIKI-NIICHAN!" They shouted from the hallway.

"_Oof!_"

Moments later Nara Shiki came into the living room, with Minato stuck on his back and Keiichi clinging to his leg, giggling wildly.

"Shi-kun!" Sakura stood back up to hug her practical nephew while Naruto stood as well to clap him happily on the shoulder.

"Hey all," Shiki grinned, "hope I'm not intruding. Oh hey Shinta, Sayu-chan."

Shinta glared openly at the boy while Sayuri simply raised a hand, her cheek resting on her hand, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Shinta hated Nara Shiki with a _passion. _He was the boy who had graduated with flying colours, and practically all the girls in the village fawned over the Nara. He was cool, smart, collected, and easy-going. _Everyone_ liked the boy. Except for Shinta. Shinta was always wary of the boy, worried that he might one day steal Sayuri from him, because the two went back a long way and...well...they were perfect for each other. They just didn't know it.

"Not at all," Naruto grinned. "Sayu was just introducing us to her _boyfriend._"

Shiki raised a brow and grinned, showing his perfect, white teeth. "_Boyfriend?_"

"Yes, her _boyfriend_." Sakura smiled. "Sit down with us, Shiki."

They all sat down and stayed in silence for a while. Before Naruto broke the silence again; "Sayu, tell me again, what's so bad about Shiki?"

Sayuri turned beet red. "_DAD." _She hissed through her teeth while Shinta stared at the Hokage in confusion.

Shiki stared at his uncle. "Huh?"

Sakura punched Naruto's arm. "Oh, he means nothing." She laughed.

"_OW! _Sakura!"

You mean nothing_,_ _right_, Hokage-sama?" She glowered at the blonde, who immediately whimpered under her gaze.

Sayuri abruptly stood up. "Uh, yeah. If we're done here, we're gonna go hang in my room. Let's go, Shinta." She grabbed the confused boy's hand, then turned to look at Shiki.

"Coming, Shiki?" She asked over her parents' growing voices.

Shiki grinned and jumped up. "You bet."

Shinta inwardly groaned.

Naruto and Sakura remained downstairs bickering loudly, with Naruto eventually shutting her up with a kiss to the mouth. And that's when Minato and Keiichi would pretend to gag and escape to go play with their toys.


	10. NOT the Right One

Chapter 10: NOT The Right One

Ino grumbled angrily as she adjusted her grip on her bags while struggling to keep her umbrella in the crook of her neck.

As she neared her house, she squinted through the heavy rain to peer at the strangely familiar figure sitting on the bench. Then she gasped aloud in recognition. "_Forehead_?"

She quickly raced over as Sakura raised her head to stare at her friend.

"Ah...Ino?" Sakura's voice was hoarse, and her eyes swollen.

Ino dropped her bags and rapidly shrugged her coat off and placed it around Sakura. She put her arm around her shoulders and hefted the bags back up with one hand. "Come on." She said grimly, and guided her friend back to her house.

* * *

Sakura stood on her friend's carpeted floor, dripping wet with a dazed look.

Ino returned with a change of clothes and helped her friend change. Once they were done, she tucked Sakura into her bed and piled layers of blankets on top.

"What the hell happened, Sakura?" She demanded as she sat cross-legged on her bed across from Sakura.

"Uhm...well…" Sakura hesitated, gripping the blankets tightly. "Daisuke and I broke up."

Ino gaped at her. "_What?_ Why?"

Daisuke was a new intern at the hospital, and they had immediately hit it off the first time they met. He resembled Sasuke to some degree, but that stopped there, since he had a _much _better personality and actually made jokes.

It had been going steady for almost four weeks when...it happened.

"Well, I found him with another girl. That's why." She said curtly.

Ino groaned. "That _asshole!_ I told you that I felt fishy about the jerk!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

They hadn't even been going out for a whole month yet, but she had taken it hard when she found him with the other girl. He _was _her first boyfriend.

Ino cracked her knuckles, a glint in her eye. "That's it. First thing tomorrow, I'm sending him _straight _to the hospital, that lying, stinking son of a bi-"

"Ino!" Sakura laughed, cutting her friend off. "It's fine! Leave it alone."

Ino stared at her friend, wondering if she was joking. "_Fine?"_ She echoed, incredulous. "How is this fi-"

"And how about you, Pig?" Sakura cut her off, wiggling her eyebrows. "How's it going with Shikamaru?"

Ino blushed and spluttered. "I-It's going _fine_. Thank you very much. Now stop changing the subject! We need a plan of action, we need to send this lowlife to-"

"Please, Ino." Sakura whispered.

Ino immediately stopped, worry washing over her anger.

"I've wasted enough energy on him tonight. Tell me about you and Shikamaru."

The blonde hesitated, before she reached over and covered Sakura's hand with her own. "It'll be fine."

Sakura nodded and smiled gratefully. She nudged her friend with her elbow. "_Come on_, Ino. You're never this shy! Spill it out, sister!"

* * *

Sakura covered her mouth as let out a big yawn and tears formed in her eyes.

Ugh, she _so _regretted staying up the whole night.

"...kura-chan!"

"...akura-chan!"

Sakura groaned.

"..._SAKURA-CHAN!"_

Naruto came barreling through the hospital ward straight to the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed and hit his arm with her clipboard as he came skidding to a halt in front of her. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't run in the hospital! Or_ yell _for that matter!"

"Okay, okay, okay, but first," He grabbed her shoulders. "Is it true?! About Daisuke?!"

Sakura stared at him. "..._How_ did you find out?"

"Ino told me! Is it true?! He…" His voice went down to a whisper, "cheated on you?" Naruto's eyes were furious.

Sakura groaned. _Dammit, Pig!_

She sighed as Naruto impatiently shook her shoulders. "Yes! Yes, it's true. Now leave me alone! I'm working!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, then he simply popped out of existence.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Wha-"

_A shadow clone?!_

Outside the hospital, a loud commotion could be heard. Sakura shook her head slowly. _No...he couldn't have…_

"GIT HIM, NARUTO!" Ino cheered, followed by Tenten's loud whoop.

Sakura groaned and threw down her clipboard and raced outside.

All her friends were gathered outside in circle. Shikamaru was kneeling down and performing his Kagemane no Jutsu on Daisuke, who Naruto then proceeded to send high into the sky with a punch.

"_NARUTO!_"

His victorious face paled as he saw her storming towards him.

An 'oh shit', echoed throughout her friends as they moved aside to make way for her.

"I-uh-took care of him for you, S-Sakura-chan!" He stammered as he slowly backed up.

She raised her hand and he flinched away, but instead of slapping him, she gently placed it on the side of his face.

"...Baka." She said with a teary face.

All of their friends let out the breath they were holding and smirked at the two.


	11. Birthday

Chapter 11: Birthday

"Choji! Slow down!" Ino scolded the Akimichi stuffing pieces of meat into his mouth relentlessly. "Save some for Naruto!"

Kiba frowned. "Speaking of which, where is the birthday boy anyway?"

"Still in the washroom." Shikamaru answered, eyes closed with his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

"Just how long does it take to go to the washroom?" Sai wondered.

Kiba snorted. "He's probably taking a cr-" He froze at the intense glares all the girls were sending him and cleared his throat, sweat dripping down his brow. "-azy long time to wash his hands."

"A-Ano," All eyes turned to the shy Hyuuga, who immediately blushed under all the attention. "N-Naruto-kun just left the w-washroom to g-go outside…" She shyly pointed in towards the doors that were swinging shut.

Tenten frowned. "Outside? Why would he go outside?"

"He can't have left already. Because we just got here." Shino spoke from his hood.

"I-I could g-" Hinata began to stand, but Sakura stood up before her and left the table wordlessly.

Ino snickered. "His girlfriend will bring him back."

Hinata slowly sat back down, her blush deepening, and her eyes slightly stinging. Kiba noticed and nudged his teammate with his shoulder.

"Have some meat, Hinata!" He grinned and place a large amount on her plate.

"K-Kiba-kun! That's t-too much!" Hinata stammered, hands in the air.

Kiba waved his hand. "Nah! You'll be fine."

"Taking care of _your_ girlfriend, Kiba?" Kiba jerked his head around to find them all staring at them. Tenten wiggled her eyebrows at them.

Kiba turned all kinds of different shades of red while Hinata's eyes widened.

"W-What?! N-NO!"

"Awww! You two are adorable!" Ino cooed, clapping her hands together.

"Kiba," Neji's eyes flashed dangerously. "you are interested in Hinata-sama?"

"S-STOP IT!"

"Yosh! Let's also celebrate this night for the new couple!" Lee shouted and raised his piece of meat.

They all burst out laughing at the scarlet faces of the two shinobi refusing to meet the other's eyes.

* * *

She found him sitting on a bench, staring up at the night sky, and she sat down next to him.

"Sakura-chan?" He turned in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Baka. The question is what are _you _doing out here? You're missing your own party!"

"Oh...yeah. I...I just…" He hesitated.

"What is it?"

"My...my mom...and dad. I don't feel like I should be celebrating." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

Sakura's face fell. His birthday was not only a time of celebration...but also a time of mourning.

"Oh...Naruto," She whispered.

He gave her a sad smile. "Tou-chan and Kaa-chan...they gave their lives up for me. For the village. I'm so proud to be their son. To be _Uzumaki Naruto._"

"But…" His smile faded. "I...I wish they hadn't." He whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I know I shouldn't...cause they saved the village and everything...but...when I think about just..._how different _my life could have been...I...can't help it." He said, frustration seeping into his voice.

Sakura hugged Naruto from the side, squeezing hard. "It's okay to wish for that, you know...It's totally fine, Naruto…" She whispered.

"I wouldn't have been so..._alone." _His voice trembled.

Sakura's lips began to tremble and she gently turned Naruto's face to face her own. "It's true that you were alone for a long time, Naruto...but you soon found friends didn't you?"

Naruto stared at her, tears falling from his eyes.

"You have so many people that you can trust and count on...and there are so many people who are trusting and believing in you, right?" She took his hand and leaned back, staring up into the sky.

"Even though, some of those people are gone, they're still watching over you. And they always will be. Just like your parents. Am I wrong?" Sakura smiled at him.

Naruto wiped away his tears and returned the smile. "Thanks...Sakura-chan. You always know what to say."

Sakura scoffed and leaned against his shoulder. "Of course I do. Just who do you think I am?"

* * *

"Stop _shoving! _And _be quiet!_" Ino hissed and jabbed Kiba in the side with her elbow.

"_OW!_"

"_Shut up, Kiba!_" Multiple voices hissed.

"Jeez. You're all ganging up on me!" Kiba moaned.

"Cause _you won't be quiet!_" Tenten growled.

"I-I'm not blaming you, K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata whispered, a light blush on her face.

"...Thanks, Hinata." Came his quiet response.

"Awwww!" Ino and Tenten cooed.

"Will _you two_ be quiet?" Neji seethed.

"Oh hush, Nej."

"Uh...I don't think we can all fit behind these bushes, guys…" Choji complained.

"Aw! Look, Ten! She's hugging him now!" Ino grinned, nudging her friend.

"Awwwwww!"

"But _what _are Naruto-kun and Sakura-san talking about?" Lee whispered.

Ino frowned, straining to hear. "I can't hear them, should we get closer?"

"NO! They're going to catch us!" Kiba growled.

"_Stop shouting!_" They all yelled at the Inuzuka.

"_YOU_ guys need to stop shouting!" He yelled back.

Then they froze at the sound of knuckles cracking.

"And just what exactly are you all doing out here?" Nine heads snapped up simultaneously to find Sakura smiled coldly down at them all, with Naruto frantically gesturing at them all to _get the hell out of there. _

"Uhh…"

"F-Forehead!"

"...Shit."

"...My bugs can stall her."

"...Can we just go back and eat the meat?

"...A-Ano…"

"Hello, Ugly."

"...Tch, how troublesome."

"S-Sakura-san! H-How radiant you look in the moonlight!"

"_What_ did I tell you, Tenten?"

"_HUSH, _Nej. Just...hush."

* * *

**A/N: ****I would like to give special thanks to deedee2034, CherryBlossom060501, onepieceloverforever, tymonkey15, narutouchihasenju4185, chriscolossus, tonyblu, Shortfall, mendezgonzalezfrank and Jorgeuzumaki for reviewing, favouriting and following! You guys made my day:)**


	12. Meant To Be

Chapter 12: Meant To Be

Ino walked over to Sakura's hospital room, slamming the door open.

"Forehead," Ino panted, "I'm finished!" She said as Shikamaru walked in slowly behind her, carrying a bundle and staring at it with a dazed look on his face.

Sakura turned to look at her friend and smiled wearily. "Same here, Pig."

Naruto was standing beside the bed in his Hokage robe, holding a little bundle and cooing softly, a tender expression on his face.

Sakura scooted over on her bed and Ino came and collapsed beside her.

"That...was _terrible._" Ino gasped, while Sakura simply nodded wordlessly in agreement.

"So...boy or girl?" Ino said after a moment of silence, they had both chosen to not know the gender until the babies were born.

"Girl," Sakura laughed. "you?"

Ino smirked, knowing of Sakura's plans to have an older boy. "Boy. Hah."

"Tch." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Time?"

"10:32. You?"

Sakura stared at her best friend before bursting into laughter. Ino scrunched her brow in confusion. "What?"

"10:32!"

A wide grin split Ino's face before she also burst into laughter.

Naruto came over and gently set their baby in Sakura's arms. "Looks like little Sayuri-chan wants her mommy." He grinned.

Sayuri stared up at Ino with her big emerald eyes from Sakura's arms.

"Sayuri-chan, this is Ino-Pig, she's going to be your aunty!" Sakura smiled.

"Awww!" Ino cooed, "She's adorable!"

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "Of course she is! She was made by us!" Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled down at Sayuri. "We make great babies, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned while Sakura blushed and gently slapped his arm.

Ino held her arms out towards Shikamaru. "Mommy wants to see Shiki-kun!"

Shikamaru came over and set the little bundle in Ino's arms and kissed her forehead. "That was troublesome." He muttered against her brow.

Ino glared at him. "And just _who _do you think had to go through that troublesome time?"

Naruto and Sakura laughed out loud, waking both the babies up, who began to cry at the same time.

"Ne, Forehead, I think Sayuri-chan and Shiki-kun are meant for each other." Ino grinned.

Sakura smirked. "Of course they are."

Ino raised her crying baby up to Sayuri. "Shiki-kun! This is Sakura, also known as Forehead, she's gonna be your aunty! And this is Sayuri-chan, take care of her okay?"

Shiki immediately stopped crying and stared straight at Sayuri, who stared right back.

Sakura laughed. "They _are _meant for each other!"

Naruto frowned. "As long as Shiki-kun isn't as _lazy _as Shikamaru is, I'll be fine with it."

Shikamaru sighed. "Lazy kids are too _troublesome." __  
_

Ino glared at him. "_Exactly _why our kid can't be like you!"

Sakura smiled. "Don't worry, Ino. I'm pretty sure your genes will win this one. After all, Shikamaru's will be too lazy to fight back."

Ino burst into laughter.

Naruto grinned. "Amen to _that_."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were quirked up. "...Tch."

A sudden loud thundering came from outside the room and they all looked up in alarm when the door burst open.

"SAKURA!"

"INO!"

Sakura and Ino's mothers both screeched as they came rushing in, followed by swarms of people.

Sayuri and Shiki immediately burst into tears, wailing loudly.

Sakura and Ino groaned.

"_MOM!"_


	13. Mornings In the Uzumaki Household

Chapter 13: Mornings In the Uzumaki Household

"_MISSION TIME! _" Naruto shouted as he slammed the door to his 14 year-old daughter's room open.

Sayuri groaned and shoved her face into her pillow.

"SAYU! Up and at 'em! Get ready for your mission!" Naruto sang.

"Is that any way for the Hokage to act?" She grumbled from her pillow.

"Today it is! Just like every other morning!" He threw her blanket off, ignoring her shouts of protests and flung his daughter on his shoulder.

"_DAD! _Put me down!" She shouted as she was laughing.

"Let's go wake up your brothers!" And he left the room to go to the room directly across from hers, where her nine-year old twin brothers were fast asleep in the same bed.

Sayuri rolled her eyes. "Keii crept into Mina's bed _again_?"

"_ACADEMY TIME!_" Naruto roared as he yanked their blanket off and threw a groaning Minato over his shoulder and a mumbling Keiichi under his arm.

He ran downstairs and deposited them in their rightful seats at the table, where there were plates of pancakes stashed on them.

Naruto winked at them. "I'm gonna go wake your mom up." Then ran back upstairs.

"Good luck!" They all called after him, grim looks on their faces.

* * *

Naruto gently opened the door and winced when it creaked.

The room was filled with the gentle snores of his wife as she lay, nearly taking up the entire bed.

"Sakura-chaaaan..." He whispered as he shook her shoulder and gulped. Fearing for his life.

"Sakura-chan..." He shook more insistently.

Sakura groaned and opened one eye. And he took a step back from the flames in her emerald eye.

She smiled at him. But he shivered, it was definitely _not _a smile of warmth. "Naruto..._honey_. What...did I say about waking me up today?" She asked sweetly.

"Uh..." He hesitated. "To...not wake you up before you actually wake up...? Or...something..."

Sakura nodded her approval. "Good job. So...why am I up?" She growled.

"Uh...it's time for Sayu to go on her mission and the twins to go to school...and almost time for work...?" He laughed nervously.

She opened her other eye and sent daggers at him.

"_Listen up_, _Rokudaime Hokage-sama._" She hissed dangerously and yanked his collar to bring him down to her level. " Sounds like you don't remember what everything I told you. Tsunade-sama kept me at the hospital until 5_ am. _I am in _no mood_ to wake up before 10. _GOT IT?_" Her eyes were murderous.

He nodded his head frantically, straining to get away. The fearsome Rokudaime Hokage was reduced to nothing in front of his angry wife.

"So, tell me, Hokage-sama..._What time is it?"_

"Uhm...8:15?" He squeaked out.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and sighed, running a hand through her long pink hair.

Then, she pulled him into the bed and snuggled up against him.

"Shut up and let me sleep." She mumbled and fell right back to sleep against his chest.

Naruto's heart was pounding, his eyes wide. Even after all the years, and he still wasn't used to her mood swings.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to Itselly, Shadowwitch042190, The Great Unknown89, nico2883, hohos6, MercifulPeaceGraceWisteria for either the review, favourite or follow!**


	14. The Ring

Chapter 14: Ring

Naruto groaned and pulled his hair in frustration. "_HOW DO I DO IT?!" _

"Just ask her, you idiot." Shikamaru muttered taking a drag from his cigarette.

"How did you do it?"

"I _asked _her."

"Probably in the most _boring _way possible." Naruto mumbled.

Kiba cracked up. "That's true!"

"It was troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled.

"You'll be fine, Naruto-kun! Sakura-san will most definitely say yes!"

"If only I had your confidence, Lee." Naruto moaned, resting his head on the table.

"Did you already buy a ring?" Shikamaru asked, his cigarette dangling from his lips.

"...Shit."

Kiba sighed. "You _idiot." _

"You still have time, Naruto-kun! After all, you're planning on doing it tomorrow!"

"Knowing Naruto, he may still forget." Shino stated from his hood.

"Shut up, Shino." Naruto growled. "I won't forget!"

* * *

Sakura sighed. "Alright, spit it out, what's up with you?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her, a confused expression on his face.

"You've been restless _all _evening." She frowned. They had just finished dinner at a restaurant, _not _Ichiraku's for once, and surprisingly, Naruto had been the one to suggest going to the restaurant. Now they were sitting on a bench on top of the Hokage monuments, watching the village lights in the night.

"Oh, I-I have?" Naruto laughed nervously, his knee bouncing up and down, as it had been for the past 10 minutes.

She grabbed his knee, stopping it. "_Yes_. You have."

He smiled weakly at her. _Kami, help me._ Then took a deep breath and got to his feet. He turned and offered his hand out to her.

"Dance with me, Sakura-chan."

She stared at him. "...What?"

"Please?"

She scoffed. "There's no music, Baka."

Naruto shook his head. "Doesn't matter."

She sighed and stood up, grabbing his hand. "Fine." She muttered, slightly blushing.

He held her waist close as she put her arms around his neck and they swayed back and forth in silence.

"What's up with the dancing all of a sudden?" She furrowed her brow.

"...Practice."

"...For…?"

"The Bride and Groom dance."

Sakura nodded. "Oh."

Several moments passed before it hit her.

She frowned and stepped back. "Wait, _what_?"

Naruto pulled her back again. "You heard me," He breathed into her ear, sending shivers down her back. "the Bride and Groom dance."

She blushed furiously. "W-What are you saying…?"

"Marry me, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Ino fiercely shook Tenten. "_He asked her to marry him!" _She nearly screamed. "I _knew _it was a good thing to follow them!" She said giddily.

Tenten grabbed her friends arms, stopping her, her head spinning. "Okay, okay! Calm down!"

"_HOW CAN I CA-" _Tenten slapped her hand over Ino's mouth.

"Be _quiet_!" Tenten hissed, an alarmed look on her face. "Sakura is _not _going to let us live this time!"

* * *

Sakura eyes widened and she froze. _  
_

..._Marry?_

Naruto frowned when he felt her stiffen and leaned back to look at her.

"...Sakura-chan?" He asked worriedly.

She placed her hand on his head and pushed him down to one knee.

"Again, and _properly_." A blush coated her features.

He smiled. "Haruno Sakura...I _swear _that I will protect you for the rest of your life. I _swear _that I will love you for the rest of your life. We've known each other for practically our entire lives, and I can't wait to spend the rest of it with you...so, will you marry me?" He finished, a silly grin on his face.

She smiled down at him, tears forming. "...Yes."

If it was even possible, his grin widened and he jumped up and raised Sakura into the air. "Mrs. _Uzumaki _Sakura."

Sakura blushed shyly. "Not yet, idiot…"

He laughed and lowered her down to kiss her, she placed her hands around his neck and closed her eyes as she kissed him back.

* * *

They walked back down the stairs to the village, holding hands. But something had occurred to Sakura and she frowned and abruptly stopped.

Naruto turned back to look at her. "What's wrong?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Ring."

He raised a brow. "Ring…?" His eyes widened in realization. "..._Oh shit._"

She stared at him. _Unbelievable_.

"'Oh shit' is _right_, Uzumaki Naruto!" Sakura growled. "I can't believe you proposed to me _without a ring!_" She shouted at his face.

He took a step back and hastily summoned a clone who sprinted back to his place.

"Now, now, Sakura-chan…" He held his hands up. "My clone's just gone to get it from my place!"

Sakura threw her hands up in frustration. "Forget it!" She snapped and stalked away.

Naruto groaned. He _couldn't _believe that he had left the damn thing at home!

"S-Sakura-chan! Wait!" He ran after her. "I'll do it again! I won't screw up this time, I promise!"

* * *

Ino and Tenten rolled their eyes from behind the house.

"Typical." Tenten sighed.

Ino shrugged, laughing. "He _is _Konoha's most knuckle headed ninja."


	15. The Ring: Part 2

Chapter 15: Ring Part 2

The next day, the first thing Ino did, was scream at the glittering band on Sakura's fourth finger.

Sakura's jaw dropped. "How the _hell _can she see from that far away?!" Ino was nearly _fifty feet _away from her.

Beside her, Hinata giggled while Tenten burst out laughing. "T-That's our Yamanaka Ino." Tenten's voice shook as she _prayed _that Ino wouldn't accidentally let Sakura know that they were watching last night.

Ino sprinted through, evading or pushing through the civilians, and once she reached them, she tackled Sakura in a bone-crushing hug.

"_FOREHEAD!" _She squealed.

"I-Ino-san! I don't S-Sakura-san can breathe…!" Hinata glanced worriedly at the pink kunoichi, who was turning slightly blue in the face.

"P-Pig..!" Sakura choked out. "I-I can't..._breathe!" _

Ino finally let go, with tears in her eyes, as Sakura was hunched over, coughing.

"Ino-san, w-why are you c-crying?" Hinata was bewildered.

"F-Forehead's getting married!" She bawled.

Sakura straightened up and scoffed. "_So are you. _Come on, Ino-Pig. I'll tell you everything. Barbeque for lunch, you guys?" She turned to look at her other friends who nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

"...And I asked him where the ring was, and _he had forgotten it." _Sakura seethed, feeling her rage from last night come back swiftly.

They all burst out laughing.

"Typical!" Ino grinned.

Tenten shook her head, smiling. "He lives up to the name of 'Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja' pretty well."

"Forehead! Let's get married on the same day!" Ino said excitedly.

Sakura scoffed. "_As if._ You'll just steal the spotlight, Pig."

Ino rolled her eyes. "That's highly unlikely, _Forehead._"

Ino turned to her other friends and smirked. "You two should get engaged and married the day after ours!"

Tenten and Hinata both blushed and did not respond.

"Soooooo, how's it going with Kiba, Hinata?" Sakura asked, a glint in her eyes.

"...G-Good...thank y-you…" Hinata refused to look at her friend, her cheeks rosy.

"Great! Then go get engaged!" Ino cheered.

Hinata turned _scarlet _and went back to her old habit of pressing her index fingers together.

Ino snickered and turned to the other kunoichi.

"And _you, _Tenny?" Ino wiggled her eyebrows "How _is _the Hyuuga?"

Tenten scoffed. "Same as always, and we _just started. _So lay off! Just get your own wedding finished first."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Just started as in, _ALMOST A YEAR AGO._"

"...Whatever!"

"W-When are you p-planning on getting m-married, Sakura-san, Ino-san?" Hinata stammered, her blush still lingering.

Sakura shrugged. "No clue. But Naruto wants to do it as fast as possible."

Tenten snickered and Sakura elbowed her friend with a blush on her cheeks.

Ino sighed. "And mine's the exact opposite. He's _too lazy _to do anything! How am I going to deal with him for the rest of my life?" She groaned, slamming her head down on the table. "_Why _did I even say _yes _in the first place?" She moaned. _  
_

"If you love him, and he loves you, that's enough, Ino-Pig." Sakura smirked.

* * *

**A/N: So many people to give thanks to! You guys are _amazing_. So, thank you to: The Whirlwind Jinchuriki, EstahLT, Blueflower29, Gannicus, Pieface18, beckbauer, AlphaVirginis, anusha00zoa , bedpostmonster, edochan68, DrakesoftheNorth, narbig100, for either your kind words, or for favouriting/following! I really appreciate it:)))**


	16. Pregnant

Chapter 16: Pregnant

Sakura slammed the door to the Hokage's office open, her face a stormy rage.

Naruto and Tsunade jumped in surprise then relaxed when they saw who it was.

Tsunade sighed. "Sakura, you could have knocked_._"

Naruto gave her a toothy grin and waved. "Sakura-chan! Did you miss me?"

Sakura ground her teeth together, and stabbed a finger at him. "_You._ You're coming with me." She growled and came over and yanked him out of his seat and dragged him out of the office.

Tsunade blinked as the future Rokudaime Hokage was stolen before her eyes in a split second.

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Where are we-"

"_Shut it._"

"...H-Hai."

Naruto began to sweat, frantically trying to remember if he had done anything wrong.

Sakura dragged him up to the rooftop of the Hokage Tower and made him sit down. Naruto looked at her, a worried look on his face, as she ran a hand through her long hair looking incredibly stressed.

The silence stretched, then Sakura sat across from him, looking over the village. Until she spoke, and that changed his life..._forever_.

She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Naruto blinked. Then blinked again.

Sakura frowned at him. "Did you hear me?"

Naruto gave a mute nod, his eyes wide.

She raised a brow. "...No...response to that?"

"We're...going to have...kids?" He asked hesitantly.

Sakura slowly nodded and stared at him expectantly. Until a wide grin split across his face, and he jumped up and a gave loud whoop.

"We're going to have kids?!"

Sakura gave a small smile at his enthusiasm and nodded.

"_Yessssssssssssssssss_!" He cheered.

A tick appeared on her forehead. He couldn't have forgotten about their talk from before. ...Could he have…?

"You..._idiot._" She growled.

Naruto immediately froze, his arm still raised in the air, another cheer halfway out of his mouth.

"I..._told you. I specifically told you! _That we couldn't have kids anytime soon!" She shouted.

"Uh...why…?"

She face-palmed. _Of course _he forgot.

"I need to finish my medical training with Tsunade-sama!" Sakura screamed at his face.

Naruto winced at her volumem then grinned. "It's fine, Sakura-chan! I'll take care of our kid!"

"_WHILE YOU'RE BEING THE HOKAGE?!"_

He backed away, holding his hands in the air. "Or ya know, Ino and Shikamaru...could babysit our kid…" He whimpered.

Sakura moaned. She couldn't handle this kind of stress, not when she was now..._pregnant_. And at the _same time as Ino. _Her best friend was going to go crazy_. _Demanding to go shopping for baby stuff already.

"Naruto, hold me." She commanded.

"...Wha-"

"_Now!_" She snapped.

And he silently obeyed, gathering her in his arms and holding her tight. She let out her breath and relaxed against his chest.

"You better get ready for my mood swings." She spoke into his shirt, and he gulped. _He still wasn't used to her regular mood swings._

"...H-Hai…"


	17. Only One

Chapter 17: Only One

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura let out a weary sigh at the familiar voice and slowly turned around.

The person the voice belonged to jogged up to her, his blond hair windswept and messy. If such a guy had approached her when she was younger, she would definitely be droolingover him_. _But nowadays, only one boy out there could make her blush and her heart pound.

"Yes, Hibiki-san?" She forced a smile as he came near.

He smiled at her, a smile that would have made normal girls swoon, but simply made her miss a certain idiot.

"Let me take you out for lunch today, Sakura-san."

She opened her mouth to bluntly refuse, but closed it to contemplate this silently. After all, how could she refuse a free lunch? No matter how irritating and bull-headed this guy was.

She shrugged. "Okay. Let me get my things."

Hibiki grinned. "I'll wait for you outside then."

* * *

It had all started a few weeks ago, when Hibiki had come running into the hospital, sopping wet from the rain, screaming to know where his little brother was.

Sakura quickly placed her board down and excused herself from the nurses and hastily made her way to the frantic ninja.

She slowly approached him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. He swerved his head around, eyes wide and frightened. She softly asked him to lower his voice and calm down.

He stared at her, mouth open in mid sentence.

"Please sir, this is a hospital, and I'm going to need to ask you to refrain from raising your voice."

He closed his mouth, and gave a short nod.

She gestured for one of the nurses to come over, and directed them to bring him to his brother.

He didn't move, simply staring at her with an odd expression.

She looked at him worriedly and placed a hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

He blinked rapidly. "F-Fine. Thank you." He quickly bowed and then hastily followed the nurse to see his brother.

A few days later, he had approached her while she was on her break and thrust a large bouquet of flowers in her face.

Sakura stared at them, bewildered.

Then he bowed. "I just wanted to apologize for my actions the other night."

She shook her head frantically. "N-No! That's completely alright. But...what are the flowers for?" She asked, a confused look on her face.

He straightened up and grinned. And she had to admit, it was quite the breathtaking smile.

"First of all, my name is Kaneshiro Hibiki." He stuck his hand out. "Pleasure to meet you."

Sakura blinked. "Haruno Sakura, the pleasure's all mine." She shook his hand.

"That's a lovely name, Sakura-san. I must admit, you certainly took my breath away that night." He grinned. "So, I've come back in pursuit of your heart. I certainly hope we get along well, because you'll definitely be seeing me often." Then he kissed the back of her hand and left, leaving her speechless.

* * *

"So, does he take you to places like this?" He gestured to the whole of the extravagant restaurant that they were currently in.

She smiled softly and shook her head. "Nah. He prefers places like Ichiraku's or the Barbecue House."

Hibiki grinned triumphantly. "I could _always _take you to places like this, Sakura-san."

"I'm fine, thank you." She said, smiling cheekily.

Hibiki pouted.

* * *

She almost let out a moan and was _so close _to taking back her words when she tasted the food.

"Why won't you tell me who he is?"

She swallowed her food and leaned back. "...Because I'm not entirely sure just exactly who _he_ is to _me_."

Hibiki stared at her, confused.

Sakura laughed. "I know, I know. But he's coming back in two days time. I'm positive I'll know by then." She smiled softly. _Already two months_...she had missed him with a terrible ache. One that was both emotional and physical.

Hibiki rolled his eyes. "Well, if you're still unsure of what he is to you, you know where to find me, Sakura-san." He winked at her.

Sakura sighed. _Here we go again_. She leaned forward, her elbows on the table.

"Look...Hibiki-san. I don't know how to say this...maybe I'll just say it like I have the past twenty times." She smiled at him. "You're just not my type."

Hibiki winced and clutched the area over his heart. "Ouch...you sure know how to break a guy's heart, Sakura-san."

Sakura sighed. "Don't I know it..." She said, thinking of all the rejections she had given Naruto.

* * *

She stood in front of the gates with Ino by her side.

"Two months, Ino, _two months_." She whispered, squeezing her friend's hand.

Ino winced. "Ow, ow, _ow_, Forehead!"

"Hmph." Hibiki grunted as he stood with his arms crossed.

Ino scowled at him. "And just _why_ are you here?" When she found out from Sakura that he had intentions to make her his girlfriend, she immediately disliked the guy, no matter how cute he was. _No one_ was going to ruin her plans for Forehead and Naruto to end up together.

"To finally find out who this guy is."

She scoffed. "You'll never win her heart."

"Who knows? Maybe I might end up winning yours." He winked at the Yamanaka.

Ino growled, clenching her fists together. Oh she was _b__eyond_ ready to send this guy into space.

A sudden gasp from Sakura made her jerk her head around.

"I see him." Sakura said in a hushed tone, her eyes wide.

Ino squinted and sure enough, she saw the spiky mass of blond hair and that silly grin he always had on when he saw Sakura. Beside him were two tall figures, one with silver hair and the other with brown hair.

She opened her mouth to tell her friend to go, when she did something unexpected, Sakura was already running towards him.

* * *

He had gotten taller, she mused as she ran. And his hair was longer, but it suited him. He had _finally _gotten rid of that obnoxious orange, and was now sporting a sleeveless navy shirt with the pants that went along with the chūnin outfit.

Naruto's grin widened and he caught Sakura in his arms and lifted her in the air.

Kakashi's eye widened and Yamato's jaw dropped.

"Miss me much, Sakura-chan?" He grinned up at her, with the eyes and the smile she had so_ missed_.

She blushed, looking away. "...No."

He laughed and brought her down to hug her tight.

* * *

Hibiki scowled deeply as he saw the pinkette run into _Uzumaki Naruto's_ arms.

He unclenched his fists and let out a sigh. But of course it was Uzumaki, what did he expect? That certainly didn't mean that he was going to give up though.

Ino gave him a triumphant grin and stuck her tongue out at him.

"In your face! True love _always_ wins!"

He rolled his eyes at the her childish antics and walked away.


	18. Strawberry

Chapter 18: Strawberry

"Sakura-chaaan! Why are you so _late_?" Naruto whined.

"Finally!" Kiba shouted.

"N-Now, now, Kiba-kun," Hinata nervously smiled. "I'm sure S-Sakura-san has a-an explanation."

Ino glared at her friend. "Yeah, Forehead. Care to explain? We've been waiting in the sun! And it's _freaking_ hot!"

Sakura held up her hands. "Sorry! Since it's so _freaking _hot today, when I ran into Hibiki, he bought me some ice-cream. How could I resist free ice-cream?" She helplessly shrugged.

Naruto and Ino narrowed their eyes, while Tenten's eyes widened.

"Hibiki?! You ran into _Hibiki_?!" Tenten nearly screeched.

Sakura stared at her friend in surprise. "You know Hibiki?"

Tenten swooned into Neji's. "He's just the _tastiest_ boy alive in Konoha at the moment."

Neji's eyes narrowed.

Ino gagged. "And also a big player and a _creep_!"

"Sakura-chan! He bought you ice-cream?!" Naruto fumed.

Sakura raised a brow. _Oh, she could have fun with this. _

"Yup." She gave him a toothy grin. "And I gave some for him to try as well."

Naruto and Ino gasped.

_"Sakura-chan!"_

_"Forehead!"_

Sakura shrugged. "What?"

Naruto growled. Every since he heard from Ino about this _Kaneshiro Hibiki,_ he'd _hated_ him. He'd tried winning over Sakura during the months he was gone, and even if she rejected him, he was now _buying her ice cream_?

He stalked forward angrily and grabbed Sakura by her shoulders and kissed her right on the mouth.

Jaws fell open. Even the stoic _Neji's._

They kissed for a full five seconds before Naruto pulled back with a grin and licked his lips.

"Mmm...strawberry! My favourite." He winked at the wide-eyed girl.

Sakura stumbled backwards, covering her mouth with her hand, blushing furiously.

"...Damn." Kiba broke the silence, his eyes wide.

"W-W-Wha-" Sakura spluttered, her cheeks on fire. Naruto sent her a cheeky grin, hands behind his head.

"_Not in front of them_, you idiot!" She shouted and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying.

Their friends were still wide-eyed and they slowly backed away from the second Tsunade.

* * *

**A/N: ****Thanks so much to: prithi 666, MegamaniacX, narusaku143, sundes2013, and narbig100 for the reviews, favourite or follow!**


	19. Family

Chapter 19: Family

Sakura eyes widened in alarm when three loud knocks came at the door, and let out a sigh of relief when the little bundle in her arms didn't wake up.

Naruto walked over to the door and opened it. A wide grin split his face as he welcomed in Tsunade, Kakashi, Shizune and their little six-year old.

"Hey Baa-chan! Kakashi-sensei, Shizune-neechan, welcome!"

He gave Obito a high five and ruffled his unruly silver hair affectionately.

Sakura smiled at them all as they removed their shoes. "Thanks for coming, please sit!"

"Glad you're finally home?" Kakashi gave her a one-eyed grin.

Sakura groaned. "_Yes_. I hated staying in that hospital."

Tsunade snorted. "And yet you work there." She walked over to their kitchen and looked around. "No sake, Sakura?"

Sakura scowled while Naruto rolled his eyes. "Of course not, Tsunade-sama!"

"Tch." Tsunade grumbled in disappointment and walked over and sat down on their couch.

Obito ran over to Sakura, a blush on his face accompanied by a wide grin. "Sakura!" He gleefully shouted.

Sakura's face lit up. "Hey, Obito-kun!" She leaned down, moving the bundle to her right and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Obito, I want you to meet someone!"

Obito's face crinkled in confusion.

She gestured for him to come closer and he peered over her arms at the baby.

"This is Sayuri-chan."

Obito stared at Sayuri's sleeping face in fascination.

He looked back up at her, eyes wide. "...Sayu...chan?"

Naruto chuckled and knelt beside him. "That's right. Sayu-chan."

Obito grinned. "Sayu-chan!"

Shizune came over and knelt down beside her son. "You're in charge of being her big brother, okay, Obito?"

He rapidly nodded his head. "I'm your nii-chan now, okay, Sayu-chan?"

They all burst out laughing as Sayuri burped in her sleep.

Tsunade grinned. "I get the feeling she'll be a lot like her knuckleheaded dad."

Naruto sat down beside Tsunade and crossed his arms. "No way! She'll get her mom's looks and brains!"

Shizune smiled in agreement. "_Except_ for the hair."

Sakura gently stroked the tuft of hair on Sayuri's head. "Yeah...wonder where she got that from…" She murmured.

Naruto gasped aloud, surprising them all. "Sakura-chan..._did you_…?" He stumbled back, a hand over his heart.

Sakura glared at him. "I would never!" She growled.

He let out a laugh, sitting down on the ground beside Obito. "I know, I know, I'm just joking. I know where her red hair comes from."

Sakura frowned. "Your side of the family?"

Kakashi smiled nostalgically. "Yup. The Uzumaki side."

Tsunade smirked. "It's from Uzumaki Kushina."

"Oh!" Sakura gasped and turned to Naruto. "Your mother?"

Naruto nodded, his smile sad. "Yeah…Ma's side of the family."

Tsunade chuckled and leaned over to ruffle her practical grandson's hair. "You received Minato's looks but you've got Kushina's personality."

Naruto grinned. "So I've heard."

Sakura's eyes clouded over. "I wish I could have met your parents…"

Kakashi gave her a one-eyed smile. "Kushina would have loved you, Sakura. Minato would have too." Tsunade hummed in agreement. "You're a lot like her, you know? _Especially_ when you're mad. That's when you're exactly like Kushina."

Tsunade burst out laughing. "That's true!"

Naruto shivered. "During the short time I met Kaa-chan...she scared the crap out of me while telling me her stories of beating up all the boys when she was younger. That's how she got the nickname 'Red-Hot Habanero'."

Sakura laughed. "Shame that I don't beat up the boys, then I would be just like her!"

Naruto sweat-dropped. "Y-Yeah...shame…"


	20. Promise

**A/N: Many thanks to Gamer AlchemistZ, aganovic, DarthMarek, NaruSaku1995, ecstacyharlot for reviewing, favouriting or following!**

* * *

Chapter 20: Promise

He grinned at her, that cheeky, whiskered grin she always loved, half obscured by the darkness.

"I'll bring him back this time," He gently cupped her cheek with one hand, gazing down at her tenderly. "even if I have to drag him back, I'll bring him home." He promised.

She glared up at him, angry tears glistening in her eyes. "What part of, 'I don't care anymore, just stay,' do you _not _understand?" She hissed.

He let out a short laugh. "I _know_ you. You still care for him." He teased her, gently moving a strand of her long pink hair out of her face.

She slapped his hand away, scowling fiercely. "Who do you take me for? I do not! Just leave him be! He's declared war on us," Her eyes lowered. "he's already too far away."

He frowned. "You can never be too far from people who care about you."

She fiercely wiped her tears away with her arm. "I...I don't _care _anymore! So don't go after him!"

Naruto sighed. "What kind of a Hokage would I be if I couldn't even rescue a friend or keep a promise for that matter?" He gave her a small smile.

"You'd _still _be an amazing Hokage!" She protested.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside her and she jumped in surprise, jerking her head around. "Sai!"

Sai frowned at their blonde teammate. "Are you sure this is alright, Naruto? Going after Sasuke, even though Tsunade-sama forbade it?"

Naruto's smile disappeared.

"I have to…" He whispered. "When I think about," He hesitated. "when I think about how...if I had just _tried _connecting with him when we were younger, instead of just being jealous all the time...I can't bear it. I have to save him from this. I have to at least _try_." His face was set in determination.

A cry nearly tore it's way out from Sakura's throat. _There would be no stopping him._

"Just...take...care of Sakura for me. Okay?" He whispered hoarsely to Sai.

"_No_." She hissed, tears in her eyes. "_Don't you dare! _Not _right after you proposed!" _She screamed, tears running down her face. "Don't you dare leave me, Uzumaki Naruto!" She thumped her fists against his chest.

He grabbed her arms firmly and pulled her in to hug her tight, burrowing into her neck. "I won't ever leave you, Sakura-chan." He murmured. "I just need to get this done before we get married, before he gets any further from us and before Baa-chan steps down officially. I'll be back before you even know it. You won't even _miss _me."

"At least, at the _very least_…" Sakura wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his flak jacket. "take me with you." She begged, clutching onto him desperately.

He jerked his head away, frowning deeply as he looked into her eyes. "_No_ _way_. Are you crazy? Not after what he did to you and Kakashi-sensei."

"You better come back home then. Back to the village. Back to _me_. Or I'm going to _kick _your ass." She mumbled, his jacket soaking up her new wave of tears.

Naruto grinned, leaning back into her. "You bet." He spoke into her hair, taking in her scent of strawberry shampoo. He was going to miss that.

* * *

But when the days turned to weeks, and the weeks into months, he still hadn't returned. Most had lost hope, but she still did _not _lose faith. Sasuke may have been willing to kill her and Kakashi-sensei...but not Naruto. For he was the only one who could understand his pain. The only one who relentlessly never gave up on him.

And just like she did every evening after her shift at the hospital, she went over to the gates and waited for him.

Izumo and Kotetsu sighed when they saw the pinkette arrive, like she did, every day.

Surprisingly, she was accompanied by Tsunade this time. Ino and the others had come to her, begging her to try and talk some sense into Sakura. But no one, had been able to convince her, that Naruto had failed his mission. All of her friends had tried to tell her, but she flat-out refused to even _listen_. They had tried to get her to move on, but to no avail.

Tsunade was here to try one last time.

Sakura sat down on the bench and gestured for her teacher to sit, a smile on her face.

They sat in silence, with Sakura watching the gates, her gaze never drifting anywhere else, and Tsunade watching her.

And this _hurt _Tsunade. It hurt her to see her student like this. And it hurt her to know that Naruto was no longer in their world.

"Sakura,"

Sakura turned to look at the blonde.

"Yes?"

"Naruto's gone." She said bluntly.

Sakura blinked at her teacher, and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, Shishou. He's not. He's coming back, he _promised_ me, you see? And you know how he never goes back on his word." She chuckled lightly, twisting the ring on her finger.

Tsunade looked at her student, her eyes pained.. "Sakura..._please_. It hurts me to see you like this!"

"Then don't!" Sakura snapped. "Don't watch me! And don't..._say things like that_." She trailed off hoarsely. She lowered her head and her hands began wringing themselves. "...Please_." _Her voice trembling, "Don't ever say something like that again, Shishou. People have said it to me _so_ many times, I can't bear to hear it any more." She sobbed.

Tsunade pulled her student in to hug her. She lay her chin on top of Sakura's head and sighed.

"You are so brave, Sakura."

Sakura let out a wail and hugged her teacher back tightly. Gripping the back of Tsunade's green haori, her tears finally poured out.

"Why? Tsunade-sama, _why?!_" She cried.

Tsunade shut her eyes, her own tears slipping out and rocked back and forth with the girl.

"I know...I know...just let it out, Sakura. Let it _all _out." She soothingly rubbed the girl's back.

_Rokudaime Hokage...How could you leave that behind, Naruto? _

_How could you leave Sakura behind?_

They stayed like that, until night fell, with teacher and student.


	21. Our Special Place

Chapter 21: Our Special Place

Sakura looked down at her clipboard then back up to Rin, the new nurse in training. "Okay, can you take care of the patient who's next on the list? I'll watch over-" She was interrupted when something grabbed her arm and yanked her away.

"Wha-Naruto!" She said in surprise.

"You're _late_!" He growled.

She stared at him. "Late?"

"For our date!"

She blinked.

He stared at her. "You forgot." He stated.

"I-I'm sorry! Things just suddenly got so hectic!" She stammered.

He sighed. "'ll just wait for you outside then. Come out when you're done."

Sakura gave him an apologetic stare. "Sorry…"

He harumphed, but gave her a small smile.

The other nurse beside her giggled and snatched Sakura's clipboard away.

"M-Miya-san!" Sakura exclaimed, staring at the older nurse. "Wha-"

Miya nudged Sakura with her shoulder and smiled. "_Go_, Sakura-chan. Rin-chan and I can handle things from here on."

Rin nodded frantically. "Y-Yes! Although, I'm still learning, I'm certain Miya-san and I can take care of everything! So please, go enjoy your date!"

Sakura stared at her co-workers, her heart swelling. "B-But-"

"No buts! Take her, Naruto-kun!" Miya winked at Sakura.

Sakura blushed and bowed. Before Naruto grinned, thanking them both and led her out of the hospital by her hand.

* * *

"Naruto...where are we going?" Sakura asked a few minutes later, confused. She was _sure _that their date was to go to Ichiraku's tonight...but he was heading towards the Hokage monuments.

"Someplace special first."

He stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up the mountain and bowed.

"Ladies first." He gestured for her to go up, grinning.

Sakura rolled her eyes but began to climb the steps.

* * *

Once they reached the top, Sakura looked around. "Now what?"

He led her over to a bench. "Now we sit, it's almost time!"

"For what?" She sat and gave him a confused look.

He gave her a mysterious smile. "For the magic."

She stared at him. Giving him a 'are-you-kidding-me' look.

Naruto pointed towards the west. "Look!"

She rolled her eyes but turned her head, and her breath was taken away.

It _was _magical. The sun could be seen setting through the clouds, and it painted the sky as a beautiful array of red, orange and pink.

"..._Wow._" She whispered.

Naruto nodded, smiling. "I know right? I used to come here a lot. It's my special place. But now...it's _ours_."

Sakura smiled back, blushing lightly and she leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder. She wished that she could stay in this moment _forever_.

But the sun eventually began to sink into the horizon, it's rays peeking out from the clouds and hitting Sakura in the face. She raised an arm to block the ray, not wanting to miss this.

And in a flash, the moment disappeared and the sky began to darken.

"...Wow. That...was _amazing_, Naruto." Sakura breathed. "Thank you."

"It's our special place." He grinned. "So!" He jumped up excitedly. "Ichiraku time?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded, smiling.


	22. Wedding

Chapter 22: Wedding Day

"I'll be your lover and your friend. I'll be with you thick and thin,"

Sakura could faintly hear him talking, but she was mesmerized in his eyes. Just as she always had been. Her breath taken away by the absolute _clear, _crystal blue.

"and I'll _definitely _love you until you're old and wrinkly, Sakura-chan."

Laughter rippled throughout the church.

Naruto smirked as her face carried the same dazed look as it had for the last few minutes. "_Sakura-chan_," He whispered as he leaned in. "your turn."

She blinked, snapped out of her stupor. "I-I do!" She hastily shouted.

The church burst into laughter.

Naruto smiled and leaned in closer to whisper into her ear, "I'm flattered that you think my eyes are so pretty to look at, but it's your turn for the vows, Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed fiercely. "S-Shut up." She hissed and took a deep breath. "Naruto…I swear that…"

* * *

The priest was saying something, he knew it, but he was caught up in Sakura to even pay attention. She looked _stunning_, _gorgeous_, _amazing_, _beautiful_, no, screw it. No words could describe her. It impossible to describe how she looked in the strapless, white, flowing dress that fit her figure perfectly.

"You may now kiss the bride." He could vaguely hear the priest saying.

"…_Naruto_." Sakura hissed a few moments later as the blonde made no move.

He blinked a couple times. "Huh?"

"You may now kiss the bride." The priest repeated, smiling fondly at the two. The guests chuckled.

"Oh," He gave her a silly grin. "sorry, just admiring."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm _flattered_."

Naruto grinned. "Ready to start a life with me, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura scoffed. "Since when can't I handle Uzumaki Naruto?"

He let out a short laugh.

"Just _kiss _already!" Ino stood up and shouted at them, a wide grin on her face.

Sakura's head jerked around and she blushed. "I-Ino-Pig..." She growled softly.

Naruto gently turned her head back and lifted her chin up, staring into her bright emerald eyes.

"I love you, Haruno Sakura." He murmured.

She scowled. "Baka. It's _Uzumaki _Sakura now."

He laughed "My bad."

Then he leaned in and kissed her, and the entire church erupted in cheers and applause.

* * *

Ino grabbed Sakura in for a tight hug. "Congratulations, Forehead." She whispered into her friend's ear, squeezing tight.

Sakura hugged her friend back. "You too, Ino-Pig."

Then Tenten came running over and tackled them both, nearly sending them all to the ground.

"_MY GIRLS ARE MARRIED!" _Tenten wailed, tears streaming down her face.

Sakura laughed. "Tenten!"

Hinata approached the three, a bright smile on her face. "C-Congratulations, Sakura-san!"

Sakura gave the Hyuuga a big smile. "Thanks, Hinata!" Then she gave her an evil grin. "You're next."

Hinata promptly blushed and lifted her hands to hide her face as her friends laughed around them.

* * *

Kiba came over and slapped Naruto's back. "_Finally _married, eh, Naruto?"

Naruto growled. "You make it sound as if _you're _already married, Kiba."

Kiba coughed. "I'm just saying, you've been after Sakura _forever._ And now you've finally got her!"

"I've _always _had her." Naruto scoffed.

Kiba burst out laughing just as Shikamaru, Chouji, Sai, Lee and Neji approached him.

They all took turns slapping him on the back and giving their congratulations.

Naruto winced as Lee was the last one to slap him, his shoulder tender.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun! I know you'll treat Sakura-san _very _well!" Lee grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Will do, Lee-san," Naruto smiled. "will do."

* * *

Ino smirked as she saw Sakura and Naruto in the middle of the dance floor. In the same position as they had been 15 minutes ago, talking quietly to each other, the occasional giggle coming from Sakura.

Tenten sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. "They're _so _in love…" She said wistfully.

Ino smirked at her friend. "How's your relationship with Neji?"

Tenten scowled. "Not even close to Naruto and Sakura's." Then a thoughtful look came over her face. "Well, closer to yours and Shikamaru's though."

Ino scoffed, crossing her arms. "We're _very _lovey-dovey, thank you!"

Tenten waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you know what I mean."

* * *

As it was nearing midnight, the guests slowly trickled out, giving their congratulations and their thanks, until it was just the Konoha 11, Tsunade, Kakashi and Shizune remaining.

And of course, Tsunade had hoarded _all _the alcohol and was passed out, slumped on the table. While Kakashi and Shizune were talking softly at their table, taking small sips of their wine.

Surprisingly, Shino was found quietly talking with _Hyuuga Hanabi _at the buffet table.

And the respective couples of the Konoha 11 had split up and were dancing on the dance floor. Ino had seen Kiba and Hinata dancing and _demanded _that Shikamaru dance with her. He had muttered something along the lines of, _'troublesome'_ but complied to her wishes.

Tenten dragged Neji to the dancefloor after seeing Ino drag Shikamaru out.

Lee, Sai and Chouji were at their table, and they were watching with amazement as they watched Chouji stuff himself with countless plates of food.

* * *

"How are you enjoying yourself, _Uzumaki _Sakura?" Naruto asked quietly.

"It's not bad." She smiled teasingly.

"_Not bad?_" He echoed, a look of disbelief on his face.

She laughed. "I'm joking. It's the most _amazing _night I've ever had."

Naruto leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. "Me too." He mumbled against them.

* * *

**A/N: T****hanks to: Hanmac, Nightly wonder, anamaniac0, Darthmarek, esker, Sdkakuzu01, theblogger, toshiro and sakura 4 ever, Cheshirette, TemplarWarden for reviewing, favouriting or following!**


	23. Go Out With Me!

Chapter 23: Go Out With Me!

**12 Years Old:**

A blonde boy bursting with energy sprinted after a pink-headed girl, dodging villager after villager and ignoring their angry shouts.

"Ne, Sakura-chaaan! Go out with me!" He shouted once he reached her side.

Sakura groaned. He had been following her _everywhere _for the past 30 minutes!

"For the last time_,_" She said exasperatedly, turning around. "NO! And besides," She folded her arms and turned her chin up. "_Sasuke-kun_'_s_ the only one for me." She said, a dreamy look on her face.

Naruto scowled deeply. _Stupid Teme!_

* * *

**13 Years Old:**

Naruto raced over to Sakura, a wide grin on his face.

_'Today! Today would be the day!' _He thought excitedly.

"Sakura-chaaaan!" He sang. "Go-"

"No."

His jaw dropped. "You didn't even know what I-"

"No."

"B-"

"_NO._"

Naruto pouted.

* * *

**15 Years Old (After the Timeskip):**

Naruto grinned and waved at Sakura from Ichiraku's.

She was still in shock from seeing Naruto after 3 years. He had grown so much_. _And those 3 years, had done him well_. _But she was never going to admit that.

"Did you miss me, Sakura-chan?" He teased as she sat down beside him.

Sakura scoffed. "As if. I didn't even notice."

Naruto nudged her with his elbow. "Come on, Sakura-chan. Just admit it!"

She crossed her arms, and turned her head the other way. "I did _not _miss you, Uzumaki Naruto."

He scrunched his face in displeasure. "Well, _I _missed you, Haruno Sakura." He muttered.

Sakura stifled a laugh as a light blush came over her features.

His face lit up a moment later with an idea. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Let's go on a date!"

She turned back to look at him and contemplated silently. She could tease him for a while.

"Hmm...maybe another time." She winked.

He gaped at her. "_Seriously_?"

She laughed. "You wish."

* * *

**16 Years Old:**

Naruto wildly shook his head, spraying water on both Sakura and Kakashi.

"Naruto!" Sakura growled.

"Oi, oi…" Kakashi looked up from his book, mild annoyance detectable in his voice.

"Sorry!" Naruto laughed.

"You've become more like a dog." Sakura teased.

Naruto pouted. "That's not nice. Pass me a towel, Sakura-chan!"

"Get it yourself." She curtly answered, tending to the campfire.

"Saaaaaakuraaaa-chaaaaaaaaaan! Toooooowel!" He howled.

Kakashi winced at the volume. "Sakura. _Please_."

Sakura groaned and reluctantly stood up, grabbing a towel.

They were setting up camp for the night, and Naruto had decided to dip his feet in the river. He was standing in the water, with his pants rolled up to his knees and his shirt discarded.

Sakura threw the towel at his face. "There." She scowled, looking away as a light blush came over her cheeks.

He caught it and grinned at her. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

"Hmph."

"Ne, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called just as she was turning to go back, she craned her neck back, a brow raised.

"Go out with me?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She smiled and pretended to think about it. "Hmm…"

Kakashi sighed. This was practically a daily occurrence ever since he had returned.

"How about..."

Naruto looked at Sakura with a hopeful look on his face.

"…Nah. I'll pass." She grinned and skipped away.

Naruto groaned as a Kakashi chuckled behind his book.

* * *

**17 Years Old:**

Naruto gently nudged Sakura's leg with his.

She turned to look at him from watching the fading sun. "What?"

It had become a daily habit of theirs to come up to the Hokage monuments and watch the sun set. But this time, they had invited their friends, but Lee, Choji and Sai declined when they found out that they were the only single ones going.

Kiba and Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru and Tenten and Neji were scattered around, either sitting on the ground, or on the other benches.

"We're also the only single ones here." He whispered.

Sakura blushed, grateful for the disappearing light. "...Now that you mention it…" She laughed nervously.

Naruto laughed. "Don't worry. I won't ask. I've learned my lesson." He slung an arm around her. "Just _friends, _right?"

She didn't know why, but she could feel her heart fall. She let out a small laugh despite the knot in her throat. "R-Right...just friends..."

* * *

Ino rolled her eyes as she watched Naruto put his arm around her.

"Just friends, my ass." She muttered.

"Hm?" Shikamaru murmured against her hair, his hand around her waist.

"Oh nothing, just watching our two idiot friends." She smiled.

* * *

Just when the sun was about to completely set, and the bright glow of the moon was rising in the sky, Ino sent a look to Tenten and Hinata who grinned and nodded.

They all stood up at the same time, and grabbed their boyfriend's arms.

"Sakura! Naruto! We'll be going first!" Ino sang. "Byeeee!"

"Eh?" Kiba looked at Hinata, with a confused look. "We ar-"

Hinata gripped his arm tight, cutting him off. "Yes. Let's go, Kiba-kun." She gave him a big smile as she was cutting the circulation off in his arm.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as Ino dragged him off the mountain, muttering 'troublesome'.

Tenten waved cheerfully and left with the ever so stoic Neji.

The silence stretched after they all left, and Sakura groaned, planting her face in her hands.

"Well then…let's stay and watch the moon rise, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned.

Sakura blushed. "Y-Yeah…okay."

* * *

**18 Years Old:**

It had been a year since that evening, and true to his word, Naruto had never asked Sakura out again. They were closer than ever, but he never again made a move on her.

She was growing angry and impatient every time she saw him. She didn't think that he would actually stop asking!

Sakura eventually approached Ino hesitantly with her worries, and her friend's reaction was not what she was expecting.

* * *

Ino groaned out loud. "_FINALLY!_"

Sakura stared at her. "'_Finally_?'" She echoed.

"Yes!" Ino threw her hands up. "We've been waiting forever_!" _

Sakura raised a brow. "'_We'_?"

"Just nearly all of Konoha."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the exaggeration. "Shut up, Pig. I've got bigger things to worry about than satisfying all of Konoha."

Ino patted Sakura's back. "Don't worry about it. He's been chasing after you forever. He might just be trying something new."

Sakura sighed "I hope."

* * *

That night, when they were having dinner at Ichiraku's, Sakura hadn't been able to focus at all that evening. And she hadn't even touched her ramen.

"Naruto,"

Naruto slammed his fifth bowl of ramen down and looked at her. "Yeah?" Then his eyes widened. "Whoa! You haven't eaten at all, Sakura-chan!"

"Do you like Hinata?"

He stared at her, his face blank. "Eh_?"_

"Or is it Ino? Or Tenten?" She demanded.

He raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, wait. What are you talking about?" He sent her a weird look. "Hinata's _Kiba's _girl, and Ino's with Shikamaru, while everyone knows Tenten and Neji definitely have something going on."

Sakura's eyes were big with surprise. "Wow, you know a lot."

Naruto scoffed. "Course I do!"

She hesitated. _Was she going to regret this? Oh, screw it!_

"Then…why'd you stop?"

He gave her a confused look. "Stop what?"

"…Asking me." She muttered.

"Asking you…what?"

She groaned. "Asking me out, you idiot!" She shouted.

He stared at her.

_Oh crap._

"…Sakura-chan…"

A wide grin broke out on his face. "You wanted me to continue asking?"

She blushed fiercely. "…I didn't think you would actually stop…" She mumbled.

Naruto burst out laughing.

She slapped his arm. "Don't laugh, idiot! This is embarrassing for me!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry!" He gasped out, between his laughs.

"Forget it." She muttered and began to get off her stool, when he suddenly grabbed her arm.

She turned her head to tell him to let go, when she was startled by the serious look on his face.

"Sakura-chan…do…you _like me_?" His voice was quiet.

"I…I," She stammered.

Her looked at her, his brow furrowed.

"…Yeah…I-I think I do…" She quietly spoke and lowered her face to hide her blush.

He smiled and pulled her closer. "Sakura-chan…do you...wanna be my girlfriend?" He murmured.

Her blush deepened as he leaned in closer to her mouth. "B-Bak-" Then he cut her off with a soft kiss, which she returned a moment later without a second thought.


	24. Jealous

Chapter 24: Jealous

"Sorry I'm late!" Naruto came running up to the group, panting.

"20 MINU-" Sakura whirled around and began to shout, then abruptly cut off.

They all stared, their mouths hanging.

He slowed down as he approached them and stared back. "...What?"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Well I'll be damned."

Tenten whistled low.

Hinata blushed.

Sakura blinked.

Neji and Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up to their hairline.

"_N-No orange_?" Kiba gasped, his eyes wide.

Instead of his trademark orange, Naruto approached them in shorts with a black, sleeveless shirt and his regular ninja sandals.

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…someone told me to get rid of it, and helped me pick out a bunch of new clothes."

"Who?" Shikamaru asked what was going through all of their brains. "Who exactly convinced you to get rid of _the_ orange?"

Naruto flashed them a grin, folding his arms behind his head. "Ayame-neechan!"

"...Who?" Kiba frowned.

"She's Teuchi-ossan's daughter."

"_Ohhh_, an older lady." Kiba grinned.

Naruto scowled at the Inuzuka. "Shut up, Kiba." He growled as Kiba snickered.

Ino's eyes lit up at the thought of an idea, and she slinked over to Tenten and whispered in the kunoichi's ear. Tenten's head nodded up and down slowly as she listened, and her mouth gradually widened into a grin as she snickered.

Sakura rolled her eyes as Ino nudged her with her elbow. "Would you get a look at _that_?" The blonde whispered.

Sakura's head jerked to her side. "Pig!"

"Who knew?" Tenten whispered from her other side. "_Damn, _those arms!"

"_Tenten_!" Sakura hissed.

Ino smirked and crept over to Naruto and latched onto his arm. "Say, _Naruto,_" She purred. "wanna sit next to me tonight?"

Tenten latched onto his other arm. "_Nu uh._ I think Naruto wants to sit next to me_._" She growled. "Don't you?" She looked up at Naruto and winked.

Naruto stammered.

Sakura spluttered. "What the hell, Pig! Tenten!"

They stared at her. "What?"

Ino waved her hand. "Oh _I know_. Forehead wants Naruto _all to herself." _She wiggled her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips.

"Ohhhhh…" Tenten nodded knowingly. "Maybe she does."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, her hands tight in fists. "Well...what if I do?" She hotly replied.

Ino raised her brow, while the boys choked.

Naruto had a look of confusion on his face as he looked back and forth from Ino to Sakura.

Sakura came forward and grabbed Naruto's hand, dragging him inside the Barbeque House, grumbling under her breath, her face on fire.

A moment of silence passed before Ino jumped into the air, squealing.

"It worked!" Tenten cheered, high-fiving the blonde.

"Damn right!"

Hinata giggled while the boys looked on in utter confusion.


	25. Emerald and Cerulean

**A/N: My thanks to: greywolfe1701, husky2c, 25BAM50, LegendaryWriterS, Capper84, Sensuto, hillariuslyInjustic, V-Oh, Dieinhappiness, RosesAndRavens for the follow, favourite and/or review! **

**I really have no idea where this idea even came from. **

* * *

Chapter 25: Emerald and Cerulean

Naruto slowly turned his head, careful not to let her see him staring. Just as he always did when it came to her. He could do nothing _but stare_. And it hurt. In the way his throat would painfully constrict, and his heart would twist inside his chest.

The little girl with the painstakingly familiar pink hair tugged on the dress of the figure beside her, who smiled before kneeling down in front of the child and offering her ear.

The girl whispered into her mother's ear and Sakura's head slowly turned to the side and before he could avert his gaze or run, her gaze collided with his.

Emerald clashing with cerulean.

Just as it once did.

_...Shit_.

Sakura was motionless for several moments, before she stood up and smoothed her dress out. She took the little girl's hand and walked over, her eyes unreadable and clouded.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit._

Naruto eyes darted around, looking for a way to escape, before internally groaning and running a hand through his hair, his palms clammy. She was already too close anyways.

She gave him a small smile as they approached and bowed. "...Hokage-sama."

Naruto gave a quick nod. "...Sakura." He said quietly, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

A flash of pain swept over her face as she rose back up.

The little girl looked up at her mother, a curious look on her face. "What's a 'Hokage', Mommy?"

Sakura smiled down at her daughter. "The Hokage is the strongest ninja in the whole village. He protects and takes care of us all."

The little girl stared in amazement at Naruto, her eyes shining. "Wow!"

Naruto suppressed the urge to look away when familiar onyx eyes bore into his, and painful memories arose once again.

He took a deep breath before kneeling down in front of the girl and giving her a small smile.

"...What's your name?"

She straightened up, her eyes shining. "Uzumaki Keiko!" She said proudly and gave him a toothy grin.

Naruto's head jerked sharply up to Sakura, who was looking right at him with an expression he couldn't identify.

He abruptly stood up, startling the little girl, and used the shunshin no jutsu to disappear right then.

* * *

Naruto collapsed in his chair in the Hokage Tower, shocked by his own actions. He just could never seem to control his emotions when it came to her.

He had just _run _away from them! The _Hokage_!

He groaned and lay his head down on his desk.

* * *

He finally calmed down an hour later, and was staring outside the window, his chin resting on his palm. He vowed to never again cross paths with her, for all she seemed to bring him was misfortune and sorrow.

A light knock surprised him out of his thoughts and his chin slipped off his palm. He cursed softly.

"Come in!"

The door opened and a slender figure walked in, her long pink hair now tied up and her dress flowing behind her.

He sat completely still in his seat, having locked eyes with her emerald ones.

They stood for what seemed like hours, staring. Just _staring. _Before she slowly walked over, and took his hand, surprising him. She hauled him up gently and he let her.

He never wanted to grab her and hold her tightly in his arms more than in that moment. But never again would he be able to.

"Let's go up." She spoke softly and a burst of warmth flooded through his body.

_Up to their spot._

And he had no choice but to follow. Just like it had always been.

Follow her like she was the only thing keeping him alive. Like she was the air for his lungs, and the heart that kept his blood flowing through his veins.

And she was.

* * *

They both sat on their bench, their arms just barely touching, watching the sun cast long shadows over the village.

"We haven't talked in a while." Sakura broke through the stifling silence. "Three years to be exact."

"...Busy with…" He hesitated. "Hokage stuff." And he winced at how pathetic of an excuse that was.

She gave him a look which made him clear his throat and look away uncomfortably.

Sakura sighed and turned her gaze away. "Don't worry. I don't blame you."

"She…" He swallowed thickly, desperate to change the subject. "looks a lot like you."

She smiled softly, staring at the distance and nodding slowly. "Except for the eyes…"

"At least she hasn't got his personality." He muttered as Sakura breathed out a laugh. And that was when he realized just how long it had been since he had heard that laugh. That laugh he loved so.

"She's got a personality that rivals yours." She said quietly, hesitantly placing her hand beside his on the wood.

His raised his eyes to look at the flashes of scarlet and orange bursting in the sky that he hadn't seen in over four years.

"She could have been mine." He whispered a moment later, his voice hoarse.

Sakura lowered her gaze to the ground. "I know." Her voice soft.

"Does...does he...love her?" He asked hesitantly.

Sakura had a thoughtful look on her face. "He doesn't show it...but...he does."

"Oh…good."

She placed her hand on his face and gently turned it towards hers. "I know...I know that you would have loved her with _all _your heart. And you would have definitely shown it."

He stared into her emerald eyes, the ones he had dreamt about. "I would." He managed to get out, his throat burning with all the things he longed to say, but couldn't. Because that wasn't fair to her, and the decision she had made. The incredibly selfless decision for the village and their friend.

She smiled at him, before her eyes flickered down to his lips and back up. As did his. She slowly began to lean forward, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back, fighting against every bone in his body.

Her face fell, a hurt look immediately washing over her features. "...What's changed…?"

"...Everything." His voice was quiet. "...And nothing." He let out an empty laugh.

She furrowed her brow.

"He's still got you. Like he always has."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "He hasn't _got _me." She said, anger creeping into her voice, before she slowly let out her breath. "But you're right about one thing. Nothing's changed. He's still the same old Sasuke as he always was. But my feelings are _far _from how they used to be towards him." She said with certainty. "It's just...two more, and I'll be back. I _swear_." She said with conviction.

Naruto fell forward and lay his head on her collarbone. Sakura's breath hitched.

Seconds later, he turned his head to look up at her, his eyes angry and wet. "Is it wrong to say...that I hate him?" He asked, a confused and extremely conflicted look on his face. "My own best friend who I fought so hard to bring back...is it wrong to say that I wished that I never succeeded?" His voice so choked with pain and shame, it broke Sakura's heart.

She gently cupped his face in her hands and kissed his tears away.

* * *

"_Naruto...Sakura...please." _

_Naruto narrowed his eyes. "There are many things I can do for you, Sasuke. But this is not_ _one of them. And it _never _will be." He growled. _

_Sasuke knelt in front of them, his face stony. "Please...there's...no one else. And I have to restore my clan...I _have _to." His voice cracking at the end, finally showing hints of emotions behind that mask. _

_Naruto shook his head firmly. "Absolutely not_." _He growled._

_Sakura lay her hand on his shoulder. "...Naruto…" She said, her voice unwavering, but all the words were there, unspoken for. _

_Naruto jerked his head around and stared at Sakura, a look of absolute shock on his face. "S-Sakura…" He choked, his eyes wide and disbelieving. _

"_He owes it to his family...his clan...his brother." Sakura spoke softly, her words trembling. _

"_Sakura-chan…" Naruto's face twisted in pain. _

"_There's no one else." She stared at him, her own eyes reflecting the pain and sorrow in his. _

_He left right there and then, ignoring Sakura's calls. He ran up to the roof and fell on his knees. Images of Sakura and Sasuke walking through the village, hand in hand with their children running alongside. The very future he was always_, always so _afraid of. _

_His hands were shaking as he gasped and dry-heaved, his chest burning and his stomach turning over and over again._

* * *

"I...can't do this. I can't _bear _it." Naruto gasped. "I _can't._"

Sakura's lips trembled. "I...can't either. Every single day without you is..._killing me_."

Naruto stared at her, his expression tortured. Then he grabbed her face and before they could think twice about what this would bring, pressed his lips against hers.

While Sasuke was nothing but rough with her, Naruto was the complete opposite.

_These _were the lips she had so missed. His gentle hands and lips made the sweet moments from so long ago, come rushing back and filling her with a long forgotten warmth in her body.

Tears fell from her face as she kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruto's hands drifted down to her back and held her steadily and close against him. Her hands wound through his blond hair and he kept tightening his grip on her, and holding her close as if she would disappear once more. Their mouths moved together in sync with a motion once forgotten, that had come rushing back once their lips touched.

They broke apart moments later, gasping, their foreheads pressed against each other.

Tears were streaming down Sakura's face and Naruto reached up to gently wiped her tears away.

"I...I _hate this as well. _I wish...I had never agreed…" Sakura sobbed. "B-But when I see Keiko...I…" She cried harder. "I'll come back. I'll be back."

"Sakura…" Naruto hesitated, his heart in pieces. "the kids..."

"I'll bring them with me."

"And when they start asking about their father?" He asked softly. That was all he ever did. That was all he ever was with her. _Soft. _It made her cry even harder.

"I...we...we're not even married! I don't even love him!" Sakura's voice began to rise. "I love _you! _I don't love him!"

He hushed her with a kiss. "It's okay." He murmured against her lips. "It's okay." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "It's okay." Kissed her eyes. "It's okay." Kissed the corner of her lips. "It's okay. You're here, right now. And that's all that matters."

He wrapped his arms around as she continued to cry loudly.

They remained there until the sun disappeared, until the moon rose and set, and until their responsibilities returned with the sun and called them back.

They let their night vanish with the moon and stars. They left with a deep kiss filled with sorrow and longing and no words.


End file.
